The Outback Expat

What I have been Eating – Part 1

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As you may recall I eat food based on a meal plan. Up until recently my Trainer Felicity Neale would set out the meal plan for me which was great as I could give my input about what I liked and she would design the plan for me.

For probably about the last 10 weeks or so I have been having a go at designing my weekly meal plan which has been really interesting for me as well as tricky and also fun!

I thought I would share my meal plans from time to time here just in case anyone who reads the blog is looking for some food inspiration! I won’t share the exact measurements of each component of the meal because they are specific to me and what works for me may not work for everyone else. Also I am trying to maintain my weight with the aim of skin removal surgery rather than specifically loose fat.

For Part 1 I thought I would share my meal plan which ran from 15 to 28 April 2019. I do tend to eat the foods over just 7 days but with the Easter break I stayed on this one for two weeks.

Pre Work Out

Before I work out I always, regardless of the meal plan, have the following:

A teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar diluted in water

  • Vital Greens mixed with Psylium Husk
  • 100ml Apple Juice
  • Scoop of protein powder mixed in water

Post Work Out / Breakfast

For this plan I was lucky as the foods I could eat formed a good breakfast and dessert!

  • Scrambled eggs with a drop of water cooked with some rocket / kale
  • White Rice and Peaches in Juice which I heated up and sprinkled with some mixed spice (as I don’t like cinnamon)

I also usually have a big glass of water and a cup of coffee with / after my food.

Lunch 1

  • Chicken which I cooked in the slow cooker
  • Asparagus
  • Sweet Potato
  • Olive Oil

Lunch 2

  • Chicken
  • Quinoa
  • Green veggies
  • Olive Oil

Dinner

This dinner probably isn’t everyones cup of tea but I really enjoy eating it (which is essential when you are eating the same thing for 7 days in a row) and I look forward to being able to slot it into my meal plan.

  • Lean Beef Mince
  • Cabbage, red onions and mushrooms cooked with garlic and chilli
  • Sugar free jelly (which is great if you have a sweet tooth).

Quantities

Whilst I don’t want to give the measurements for each component of the meal, the above calories added up to about 1686 a day with 138g protein, 65 grams of fat and 95g carbs. I don’t include the green veggies etc in my calorie count

Meal Prep

I pre-cook as much of the food as possible on the Saturday or Sunday otherwise there is a risk I will be too tired from work and that makes cooking pretty unpleasant. The lunches get measured and boxed so I can grab the boxes and go for work etc. The breakfast and dinner components get stored in bigger boxes and are measured out as I go.

Food Shopping & Meal Prep Essentials

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I meal prep my own meals and then plan and cook meals for the Aussie each week. There are certain things which I buy week in week out.

Recently I have been putting together a proposed meal plan based upon my macros and then Felicity will review them and make suggestions which has been both fun and interesting because sometimes it feels like a real juggling act to get it right. I feel like I am learning so much about food and how all the macros interact to make sure I eat whole healthy foods and don’t get hungry.

Sometimes I hit my protein macros when I am planning but then find that I don’t have enough carbs or fat so then have to go back and adjust. It is not easy especially when you want variety so you don’t get bored of your meals.

  1. Green veggies – I can almost always guarantee that I will include green veggies including broccoli, green beans and peas in one or more of my meals each day because they really help fill me up. Also I generally don’t count them towards my calories. I used to buy everything fresh but as frozen vegetables are pretty good quality because they are snap frozen I now usually just buy the frozen green vegetables pack from Coles, they take a few minutes to cook and taste delicious.
  2. Alternative or as well as green veggies I will have a green salad made up of spinach, kale, lettuce, cucumber, celery and throw in some red onion as well.
  3. Protein (of course) – My protein choices vary between eggs, chicken, beef, pork, lamb, salmon and white fish. We like to mix it around so there is variety because I have the same meals for 7 days at a time. Protein is great because it helps reduce hunger and helps boost your metabolism.
  4. Carbs – For carbs we swap between oats, basmati rice, jasmine rice, quinoa, white potatoes and sweet potatoes. We have found that my body reacts pretty well to carbs and I enjoy eating all of those (especially oats for my breakfast!).
  5. Fats – we do not work on a low fat diet and I understand that this is actually not very helpful when you are trying to loose weight. My fats choices include olive oil, avocado, flaxseed oil, avocado oil. I have tended to lean towards avocado and olive oil but I am trying to mix in other oils.
  6. Others – we also include foods like peanut butter (yum with oats and chocolate protein powder), almond butter, tahini, sauerkraut, herbs and spices which are all delicious additions.

Staying On Track Over Christmas – Blogmas Day 18

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During this Blogmas I have talked about the Christmas food I love but which also is not always the healthiest option, even though it tastes amazing.

Food is and always has been a big part of Christmas and I have loved it. We are inundated with photos of the latest offerings from the various supermarkets for the festive season and so it could be easy to slip and slide into a food coma.

I do plan on enjoying Christmas and the food offerings BUT it is not going to define my Christmas because the time with my family and catching up with friends is what my Christmas is about. I intend to stay on track with my diet and exercise so I do not undo all of the hard work I have done and also so I can slip back into my normal routine after Christmas without a lot of work being required to be on track.

First on my list is that I fully intend to keep exercising and working out. I have found a gym to go to in the village where my parents live or to the gym at the school I used to go to which I just a bit further down the road. Subject to opening hours and the public holidays I intend to go Monday to Friday and do my weights work out and cardio or Park Run on Saturdays. If I cannot get to the gym for any reason the Aussie and I should be able to get and walk with the dogs.

On Boxing Day we also plan to climb Glastonbury Tor which has an elevation of 518 feet and a few steps to climb! When the Aussie visited the UK for Christmas last he walked up the Tor but I declined because I was not fit enough to do it (I had also had surgery on my calf muscle in the October beforehand which was still healing). As things have changed dramatically for me health and fitness wise this is high on my agenda for things to do! You can also read a post about Glastonbury Tor and the surrounding areas here.

We also have a walk planned with my friend and her husband which will be great as we are all keen on being active and fit and now I might be able to keep up!

Food wise, my Mum has asked me for a list of foods which I can use to meal prep and be on plan which is fantastic and makes things easier.

I do intend to relax the food plan for Christmas Day and possibly Boxing Day and then New Years Eve so I can enjoy the foodie aspect of Christmas within a defined period. I don’t plan on drinking much if any alcohol because I am not really a drinker anyway but also I would rather eat the calories!

So with all this in mind it should be a lovely and healthy Christmas so that I can hit the ground running on my fitness goals in the New Year.

MS Moonlight Walk

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After the extremely wet Bridge to Brisbane that we did a few weeks ago, seeing the weather forecast of rain on Saturday 6 October 2018 which was also the date of the MS Moonlight Walk did make me think oh no, particularly as I had felt ambitious when I signed me, Naomi and the Aussie up for the walk and had signed us up for the 10km walk rather than our usual 5km.

The walk didn’t start until 6pm so during the day we watched the clouds roll in as well as a touch of rain before heading to the Cultural Centre to meet Naomi.

Upon arrival we picked up our red lanterns and waited for the walk to start whilst feeling the rain get heavier and heavier. Luckily I had bought some rather fetching rain ponchos so we were able to avoid getting quite as drenched as for Bridge to Brisbane.

The event got off to a lovely start with presentations to the top fundraisers as well as listening to people who have MS talk about how they are fighting to beat MS.

With the sun going down we started on our walk along Southbank and the long and windy, sometimes up and sometimes down hill path to the Story Bridge, which if it is possible to have a favourite bridge would 100% be my favourite!

We walked along pathways and roads which we have never been to or along before which was lovely and to be honest the rain didn’t really dampen the experience for me. It was also lovely to see the volunteers along the route, pointing us in the right direction and from time to time handing out things to keep you going like water, bananas, cookies and yoghurt.

As we came back through the botanic gardens at the 9km mark we were dazzled by the beautiful lights which are in the trees all year round. It was “just” a short trek back to the finish line.

I have never walked as much as 10km in one go before. I remember back when I started exercising how walking 3km used to hurt my hips and I would be in pain for a while afterwards. The most I had walked in one go had previously been 5km but recently I have been walking 7 then 8km on the treadmill at the gym and felt comfortable doing so.

The thought of completing 10km still made me nervous though and I won’t lie that I thought, well if it gets tough we can probably just do 5km. Luckily that wasn’t necessary and we did it and it was a really great experience, especially as I was able to raise some money for the MS Society as well and completed it with the Aussie and Naomi.

We have signed up for a 10km walk on the Gold Coast next year already and have a longer walk in mind when the tickets go on sale on New Years Day around Byron Bay as well which makes me quite excited for the fitness goals next year.

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